Francois de Neufville

Francois de Neufville, Duc de Villeroy (7 April 1644-18 July 1730) was a Marshal of France under King Louis XIV of France.

Biography
Francois de Neufville was born in Lyon, Kingdom of France in 1644, the son of Nicolas de Neufville de Villeroy. As his father was Louis XIV of France's governor during his minority, Neufville played with the young king and Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, earning him a place in the king's inner circle. In 1693, he was appointed a Marshal of France despite his lack of experience, and he took command of the army in Flanders in 1695 during the War of the Grand Alliance, as the Duc de Luxembourg had died of natural causes. In 1701, he replaced Nicolas Catinat as commander in Italy during the War of the Spanish Succession, and he was captured at Cremona in 1702. In the following years, he fought against John Churchill in the Low Countries, and he lost at Ramillies in 1706. Louis XIV superseded him in command, and the rest of his life saw him fall into disgrace for being involved in plots.